1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of printing presses. More particularly, the invention relates to changing the ink used in printing presses and cleaning the components which come into contact with the ink before the ink can dry on those components.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional printing press, anilox rolls, meter rolls, and ink pans all contact ink during normal press operation. However, because ink dries quickly, these components must be promptly cleaned after the press is stopped to prevent the ink from drying thereon. If the ink dries on the components, considerable effort and costly solvents are required to restore the components to their operational condition.
To facilitate the cleaning process, many presses are designed to have pull-out drawers which provide access to the ink pan and the rolls which contact the ink. Additionally, the components which contact the ink during press operation may be continuously wetted with ink to prevent the ink thereon from drying. The wetting of the components may be made possible, for example, by a constantly turning motor (xe2x80x9cCT motorxe2x80x9d) mounted on the drawer which continuously turns the rolls in the ink pan to ensure that the ink on the rolls does not dry.
The possibility of the ink drying on the components is not the only drawback inherent in this conventional apparatus and method of cleaning it. In addition, if a user desires to replace the color or type of ink being used by a press, the press must be stopped and the components cleaned before the new color can be used therein. Accordingly, while the components are being cleaned the press remains idle. This downtime results in lost profits due to inefficient equipment utilization.
Another drawback is that although each of the components in the traditional press drawer may be individually removed from the press (to facilitate cleaning of each component parts), when a component is replaced, its position in the drawer must be properly aligned and adjusted with respect to the other components therein. This adjustment process takes additional time during which the press remains idle thereby exacerbating the downtime of the press and further reducing the press"" productivity.
Thus, although a protocol exists for cleaning press components, the protocol suffers from various drawbacks. For these and other reasons, a new apparatus is needed which is easy to clean and which greatly reduces press downtime.
A first embodiment of the invention comprises an ink cassette assembly and a second embodiment of the invention comprises a printing press using an ink cassette assembly. The ink cassette assembly embodiment includes a frame, an ink pan which is positioned in a lower portion of said frame and which is adapted to hold ink, a meter roll, and an anilox roll. In this embodiment, the meter roll is rotatably connected to the frame, is positioned such that a portion of the meter roll sits within the pan, and is adapted to contact ink in the pan. The anilox roll, which is rotatably connected to the frame, has an outer surface which is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll. The assembly is adapted to be removably connected to a drawer of a printing press such that the pan, the anilox roll, and the meter roll are removable from the printing press as an integral unit.
In a further embodiment, the assembly may be adapted to engage a CT motor for continuously rotating the anilox roll and/or the meter roll. In another embodiment, the assembly may include a mobile cart supporting the frame. In yet another embodiment, the assembly may include a doctor blade adapted to control an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll.
The printing press embodiment of the current invention includes a press body having a drawer therein, an ink cassette assembly, and a motor. The ink cassette assembly of the printing press includes a frame, an ink pan which is positioned in a lower portion of said frame and which is adapted to hold ink, a meter roll, and an anilox roll. The meter roll is rotatably connected to the frame and is positioned such that a portion of the meter rolls sits within the pan. The anilox roll is rotatably connected to the frame such that an outer surface of the anilox is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll. The ink cassette assembly is adapted to be removably connected to the drawer of a printing press such that the pan, the anilox roll, and the meter roll are removable from the press body as an integral unit. The motor is adapted to turn the anilox roll such that the rotation of the anilox roll is adapted to cause a rotation of the meter roll. The rotation of the meter roll enables an outer surface thereof to rotate in the ink pan so that the outer surface of the meter roll is adapted to pick-up ink in the pan; the outer surface of the meter roll is adapted to transfer the ink thereon to the outer surface of the anilox roll.
A further embodiment of the printing press may include a transfer roll which is in contact with the anilox roll. In addition, another embodiment of the press may include a CT motor for continuously rotating the anilox roll and/or the meter roll. Further, yet another embodiment of the press may include a doctor blade which is adapted to control an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll.
The invention also provides a method of exchanging an ink pan, meter roll, and an anilox roll in a printing press. The method includes: (a) providing an assembly comprising: (i) a frame; (ii) an ink pan positioned in a lower portion of said frame, the ink pan adapted to hold ink; (iii) a meter roll rotatably connected to the frame, wherein the meter roll is positioned such that a portion of the meter roll sits within the pan, and wherein the meter roll is adapted to contact ink in the pan; and (iv) an anilox roll being rotatably connected to the frame, wherein an outer surface of the anilox roll is in contact with an outer surface of the meter roll; (b) withdrawing an insertion apparatus from an interior of printing press; (c) connecting the assembly to the insertion apparatus; and (d) returning the insertion apparatus with the assembly attached thereto to the interior of the printing press.
In the aforementioned method, the insertion apparatus may be a drawer. In addition, the method may also included: (e) adjusting the anilox roll with respect to a transfer roll in the printing press after the insertion is inserted into the interior of the printing apparatus. Additionally, or alternatively, the method may also include: (e) (of (f)) controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll by means of a doctor blade. Further, the step of controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the meter roll may occur while the insertion is withdrawn from the interior of the printing apparatus. In addition, the step of controlling an amount of ink on the outer surface of the anilox roll may comprise adjusting the doctor blade.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description, appended claims, and accompanying exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings.